The paper’s Stuart Brennan writes: “They allowed Villa three chances – although Karim El Ahmadi’s equaliser was a yard offside – and paid three times, in a game where Joe Hart had nothing else to do but pick the ball from the net.

“City had looked pure class in the first half, bossing the game in all departments, with Fernandinho setting the tempo beautifully and allowing Yaya Toure to range forward with menace.

“With Samir Nasri and Aleks Kolarov causing trouble down the City left, Villa were left to defend in depth and hope that they were not too severely punished.

“The trouble was that City, for all their dominance, did not press home their advantage until late in the half, when Nasri’s corner found its way to Yaya Toure, and he prodded a shot underneath goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

“City started the second half in confident fashion, but then it all slipped away, undermined by a shocking miss by the linesman, who failed to spot that El Ahmadi was a yard beyond the last defender as he went through to score.”

Reported John Percy: “Andreas Weimann earned Villa a victory even the most hardened of Holte Enders cannot have foreseen as City's weaknesses were again exposed on the road, condemning Pellegrini to a stark reminder of the task ahead less than a week after thumping their Manchester rivals.

“Twice here they took the lead, after completely dominating the first half, but Villa produced a remarkable second half turnaround to settle an absorbing and unpredictable encounter.

“Time and time again the visitors exploited the huge pitch to threaten Villa's goal in the opening 45 minutes and although goalkeeper Brad Guzan was rarely tested, his defence were frequently stretched and on the back foot.”